The view to the horizon, Germany 2010
As of today, so now the new version of Adobe Photoshop Lightroom available. You can buy them on the side of Adobe for just under 300 €, the update from earlier versions cost 100 €. I've written many times that I very Lightroom like to use, and I've also here and here already presented my Lightroom presets for the Panasonic GF1 and Olympus. But unfortunately, the latest version of Lightroom 3.0 is still not a very important step in the workflow: the so-called "soft proof".
With Soft Proof is a simulation meant that on the screen shows approximately how an image will be printed later appear on paper. This requires the appropriate software can take into account the profile of the calibrated printer, and accordingly simulate the paper color. This last step before printing it possible, in accordance with the expected playback of a specific printer, the Contrast and color to optimize the photo. So you then had the best control over the subsequent paper image, which saves a lot of time, money and stress, because with the help of such soft proofs can be awkward test prints on a "trial and error to avoid.
Well, most people just assume either that which brings her printer so and are content, or send their photos to the photo service, where they are then adjusted by an automatic and usually printed very neatly. But just like the pictures of my today's blog posts are often not at all out good because it is highly saturated colors (here, blue and green) and gradients There, and in addition the diffenrenzierten shades of the clouds. Here most of the printers default settings do not bring the optimal contrast ratio or created an ugly color cast. To avoid this, provide some good photo services, the possibility of a color profile of the machines used there to download to see it even by soft proofing can be as the result of the printed image is before you made the order. Very useful especially for expensive large-format printing!
prerequisite for such treatment and assessment by soft proofing is of course that you have color management under control, and the workflow is correct. In practice this means that the monitor be profiled must be what I do with the colorimeter Quato iColor Display (Silver Haze Pro) . Otherwise, the screen displays that is not the real colors of the photo, and it fits in its processing steps of the image so that it good only on this one monitor looks! Most manufacturers give their screens with strange preferences, and also changes the color reproduction and luminance of a monitor with increasing age, so one has to distinguish even again and again. In addition, all participating master color management software, that can take into account the monitor profile. Maybe I'll do well again in the future, a blog post that my complete color management clarified, let's see. Until then, you, the Internet offers more than enough reading material, if you are looking for the right keywords.
Well, in many cases it's enough though, even without a soft proof "somehow" to print his pictures or have it exposed at present, but how do I help me if I do then it would make in a workflow with color management in Lightroom out a soft proof? The first possibility is, of course, to buy the "big" Photoshop CS, which sometimes just silly 1000, - € costs (or at least a student version also 200, - €). The other option (and my personal alternative) is an existing Photoshop Elements by a utility-enable soft proofing. PS Elements may indeed appear to be from home, no soft proof, but the functions to be only "hidden" because the element also uses routines from the big brother CS. a software called "Elements +" , which only costs $ 12 (equivalent to about 14 € including VAT) will turn next to the soft proof and free of other nice features of Photoshop CS in Elements, such as when working with curves, layers, masks, smart objects, scripts, etc.
This is my workflow when it comes to soft proof: I open from Lightroom a copy of the photos in my old version 4.0 of Photoshop Elements (Free addition to any camera or something), then run with the help of the element plus additional function of the soft proof, I have set up according to my printer profile and Compensation and simulation of the paper color. I leave the preview of the soft proof view and change with color and contrast corrections, the photo so that the proof looks good, ie that the image will be so out of the printer is the way I want it to be. Depending on the printer can be quite extensive adjustments, for such a printer usually has a completely different color space than my screen, that is, especially with highly saturated colors, most printer problems. Ah yes, the color profiles for my printer to create I am the way, with a colorimeter "Datacolor Spyder Print" .
Conclusion: Too bad the new version of Lightroom is still dominated no soft proofing. Then I could in fact really just about anything to get it over to Lightroom without having to first open another program in addition to complicated.
That reminds me of yet: Take part but please be at the current survey of MFT cameras, if you have not already done it. It only runs until tomorrow at 23:55 clock! Do you know why
the guys at Adobe have not yet built in soft-proofing into Lightroom? Colour management can be a hassle, but it's a must-have when you want to have real control over your prints.
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